Chris Long=
May 9, 2008
=
(On his first day wi=
th the
Rams)
“I think it wa=
s a
pretty positive day. I had a lot of fun working with those guys on the
defensive line and trying to pick up as much as I can so I don’t slow
things down. But we’re all working on our new stuff as rookies =
so I
had a good time.”
(On what DE Leonard =
Little
shared with him during practice)
“Leonard’=
;s just
helpful. What a guy to have working with you on the defensive line.&n=
bsp;
I think it’s his 11th season. He’s been in thi=
s game
and he knows what he’s doing so anything he says to me, which is main=
ly
just critiquing technique and game experience and stuff like that, is really
helpful.”
(On how well he feel=
s he is
learning the defensive system)
“I feel like I=
’m
picking it up well. I don’t want to get ahead of myself.
It’s day one. I’m probably on page one of 100 in the (pla=
y)
book so I’m not going to get too high on how quick I picked it up, bu=
t I
think I’ve moved along pretty nicely.”
(On his level of anx=
iety as
he walked out to practice)
“I’m alw=
ays
anxious to get out here on the first day, whether it’s college, high
school and now in the pros. It’s the same game you just have to=
get
out there to realize it.”
(On selecting No. 72=
as his
jersey number)
“I never picke=
d anything
else. I saw the available number and I was like ‘Oh that would =
be
cool. 72 sounds good, something different.=
You know (New York Giants DE) Osi (Umenyiora) wears it so ma=
ybe
I’ll get a little faster.”
(On how it feels to be in the NFL)
“To be honest, no different. Just obvi=
ously,
the game picks up. These guys are enthusiastic, they love their job
– it doesn’t feel like a job which is cool. That was my
biggest anxiety, I was worried it was going to f=
eel
like a job and not a game. But these guys are out here having fun,
working hard just like a college team would. Just guys are better.=
221;
(On if he went up against T Orlando Pace)
“No, I didn=
217;t
get to.”
(On if the coaches h=
ave
talked to him a lot)
“Yeah, I’=
;ve
heard some things from different coaches, but there’s a lot of chatter
going on. I’m a rookie.”
(On if anyone has ta=
lked any
‘trash’ to him yet)
“No, it’=
s been
cool. This is a team and at the end of the day we all want to have the
same goal. Besides ‘carry my helmet,’ it’s all good with
me.”
(On the coaching sta=
ff
having early expectations for him)
“Whether I was=
the
second (pick) or a seventh-round pick I’m going to try to be as ready=
as
quick as I can. I don’t put anybody else’s timetable on
myself, I just work as hard as I possibly can and if I maximize what I can =
do
at the end of the day then that’s kind of what you get. If
that’s being ready by the first game to contribute that would be
great.”
(On if his dad, Hall=
of Fame
DE Howie Long, had any advice for him)
“Oh yeah, he&#=
8217;s a
dad, plenty of advice.”
(On if he had a chan=
ce today
to physically test himself against some of the other players)
“You just have=
to get
out there and see. You see guys in college that are as good as the gu=
ys
at this level, just more rarely. It’s just now you see these gu=
ys
frequently, every play. Every play you see the best guy that you go
against during the season. So you just have to be ready, never let yo=
ur
guard down, and if that’s the way you play
football then you’ll be fine.”